AOM Meditations: 040319

by Philip Gladstone

Thanks to our Friend, David, for sending us this beautiful art

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As you know, one of my reasons for blogging AOMMD is to help inspire others to take a more active role in adding positive energy and Love into the world by helping others. The first step in loving others is to love ourselves first. The more love we have for ourselves, the more love we have to share with others. Today's Meditations relates to this by helping us understand the importance of ACCEPTING ourselves as we are - warts, farts, shits and all.

I post this to get us thinking outside of our safe little boxes that we feel comfy in. It is not an easy thing for me to accept this view of myself, but something inside me tells me it is true:

All the very best 

and all the very worst of humanity 

is within each of us. 

Only by accepting our 'shadow or darkness' can we learn to fully accept ourselves and fully integrate ourselves in wholeness. It does not mean we act upon our 'dark' thoughts, feelings, impulses. It means that we accept ourselves warts and all. When we can fully accept our WHOLE self, then we can learn to accept, understand, and be compassionate with ourselves and others. Rather than judging and condemning ourselves and others because of our flaws, we accept them and see them as a natural part of our whole being - parts that have in their own way contributed in positive ways. As stated by Alan Watts in the quote below, "The manure is contributive to the perfume of the rose".

"The Recognition of the fact that behind the social role that your assume; behind all your pretensions to being either a good citizen or a fine scholar or a great scientist or a leading politician or a physician or whatever you happen to be - that behind this facade - there is a certain element of the unreconstructed bum. Not as something to be condemned and wailed over, but as something to be recognized as contributive to one's greatness and to one's positive aspect; in the same way that manure is contributive to the perfume of the rose."

~Alan Watts, discussing the work of Carl Jung

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"We cannot change anything 

until we accept it. 

Condemnation does not liberate, 

it oppresses." 

 “Only he 

who has accepted himself completely 

possesses  ‘unprejudiced objectivity,’ 

that ingredient without which 

he will be unable to help others 

nor even himself. 

~Carl Jung

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Let us accept the "manure" that is within

So that it may do its work in bringing forth

The fragrance of the rose

AOM Meditations: 092718

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“Hurt people hurt people. We are not being judgmental by separating ourselves from such people. But we should do so with compassion. Compassion is defined as a "keen awareness of the suffering of another coupled with a desire to see it relieved." People hurt others as a result of their own inner strife and pain. Avoid the reactive response of believing they are bad; they already think so and are acting that way. They aren't bad; they are damaged and they deserve compassion. Note that compassion is an internal process, an understanding of the painful and troubled road trod by another. It is not trying to change or fix that person.”

~Will Bowen

(Complaint Free Relationships)

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“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies. (from "Loving Your Enemies")”

~Martin Luther King Jr.

(A Knock at Midnight)

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Want to Love others better?

Love yourself more.

For you can only Love others

To the degree that you Love yourself.

Love is not something you learn to do

Love is who you are at your very core.

~AOM

Parting Thought: 122117

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

~Jesus

(Matthew 25:34–40)